


Tenzin's Girl

by Peach_and_bugs



Series: A Touch Of Cinnamon - KyaLin Modern AU [2]
Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra, Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: 1980s, Alternate Universe - 1980s, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - No Bending (Avatar TV), Baby Names, Canon Lesbian Character, Coming Out, F/F, F/M, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, LGBTQ Character, LGBTQ Female Character, LGBTQ Themes, Pre-Relationship, Queer History, Queer Themes, Queer Youth, Teen Crush, Teenage Dorks, Young Love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-08
Updated: 2021-02-22
Packaged: 2021-03-12 20:34:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,099
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29016702
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Peach_and_bugs/pseuds/Peach_and_bugs
Summary: It's 1981 and Kya just turned 17. For the most part, 17's been good, but she is confused about her new feelings in regards to her little brother's relationship with her best friend Lin. She chooses to ignore these feelings as of now, but when a new song comes on her radio that hit's much too close to home, she goes to some trusted family for some much-needed advice on what she's feeling and what she should do about it...-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Inspired and based around the song "Jessie's Girl" by Rick Springfield and takes place in my modern KyaLin Au, a few years before the prolog/first chapter of "A Touch Of Cinnamon." (Reading ATOC first is unnecessary to understand what's happening)
Relationships: Aang/Katara (Avatar), Bumi II & Kya II & Tenzin (Avatar), Kya II & Mai, Kya II & Suki (Avatar), Kya II & Ty Lee (Avatar), Lin Beifong/Kya II, Lin Beifong/Tenzin, Mai & Suki & Ty Lee (Avatar), Mai & Suki (Avatar), Mai & Ty Lee, Sokka/Suki (Avatar), Suki & Ty Lee (Avatar)
Series: A Touch Of Cinnamon - KyaLin Modern AU [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2128692
Comments: 7
Kudos: 33





	1. February, 1981

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kya spends an evening alone waiting for Lin to come home by perusing her old record collection and finds an album that unlocks a story she had almost forgotten about

Kya couldn’t remember the last time she had a home where she truly felt warm and comfortable. She’d been all over the world, and she loved that traveling time in her life, but there was something about staying in one place that she was learning to love instead of dread. She enjoyed how she didn’t have to constantly think about what was happening next. She could wake up and just see what the week would bring to her. She could take things easy and enjoy the stillness. 

She didn’t mind waking up to the same beautiful woman every morning either. On the sleepiest mornings where Kya could barely part her eyes open, Lin would press warm lips to her shoulders and face, rubbing gentle circles in her to her back. The gesture could stir her out of sleep, and she was always rewarded with a shiny grin.  
Her mornings are now spent with coffee, tea, and morning kisses before heading to work at a job she enjoyed. Her evenings were filled with sharing different foods from her travels with a woman she loved, followed by unmatched intimacy that felt new every night. 

This new normal was simple, yes, but she was learning to enjoy simple more than she thought she ever would. If she had been asked what she thought she would do in her older age when she was still in high school, she would have said she would still be traveling. Traveling till the day she died, unable to settle in one place for too long. Now, she was in her 50’s, and she had somehow settled without minding it. 

She now gazed around Lin’s living room, now their shared livingroom, at all the trinkets and souvenirs that Lin had so proudly wanted her to display. The younger woman had insisted that she wanted Kya’s travels to be reflected in their shared space, and how she loved hearing the stories connected to each stone carving and jar of sand. It was Lin’s way of showing her that she was still the same person, even without wandering any more. For the most part, it had worked, and Kya could genuinely say she was happy with her life, which was strange to think if she was being honest. 

For the most part, she had spent the vast majority of her life looking ahead. She had brushed through life and worried more about the when rather than the now. That had been a mindset that she was satisfied with for a long time, but now that she was settling in one place and felt safe, her mind started to ponder her past. 

She was sat in the living room still, eyes wandering around the room when they fell on her old records once again. Lin had made a space for them in the living space, along with her vintage record player in the event that they ever had company and Kya wanted to play something. The older woman had found it sweet but doubted that company would be ever had. 

They had only used the record player to play instrumental albums since Kya had moved in, which she didn’t mind. Now, however, she was in the mood to peruse through the vinyls and find something different. She hoisted herself from the couch, her gaze catching the clock that sat beside the television as she made her way over to her collection. Lin wouldn’t be home for another hour if she was actually on time tonight.

Kya pulled out one of the boxes from its shelf and settled herself on the floor. She knew that her knees would protest to this, but at the moment she didn’t feel like moving back to the couch. Her hands gently peeled through the collection, fingers running over the spines of vinyl’s that hadn’t been listened to in years. 

She silently admires cardboard covers, letting them pile around her as she picked them out one by one, checking to see how scratched each record was. She could tell by the tiny indentions which songs had been played on a consecutive loop when she was younger. Just by a gentle touch, she knew which songs had to be rendered inaudible now. As she finished pursuing one box, leaving multiple stacks of records settles beside her, she pulled out another one and started the ordeal over once again. 

She sorted the record by how audible she thought they would be, yet she hadn’t played anything just yet. She had a stack that she knew was too scratched to be played and should only be displayed. Along with that, she had records that likely never got played. She assumed they had been purchased around her birthday right before she had left. 

Sorting through the vinyl she was reminded of bits and pieces of childhood that would make her smile or frown. Many of them revolved around Lin, which hadn’t been surprising, but a few wavered from that storyline. She found a Queen album that she remembered Bumi had bought her when she turned thirteen. 

Instantly, the record reminded her of playing the album on full blast with her brother, along with Bumi’s horrid singing voice. Bumi knew he couldn’t sing, but that never stopped him from cracking a smile and belting out a song as though his life depended on it. Kya grinned at the memory, placing the record in its own stack with what she called her special albums. 

She felt boredom creep through her as she pondered what Lin would want for dinner. She still hadn’t played anything, and it seemed like she was going to move on from this endeavor. She was about to stand up and put the collection when a record she hadn’t expected to find caught her eye. 

It was a single record with only one song on it. She recalled that she had gotten it as a gift after her original copy had become too scratched to play. She picked it up tenderly, as though one wrong move would break it. She could already hear the opening guitar riff as she brushed her fingertips over the cover. With that, she made her choice and moved to turn on her record player. After standing with a slight groan, her knees protesting just like she thought they would, she straightened her back and approached the player. 

She removed the vinyl from its jacket, dusting it off as gently as she could before depositing it on the player. She set the needle into place as the record began to spin. With a crackle, the player came to life and she was pulled into her memory like an ocean wave taking her into its waters. 

She turned the volume dial a few clicks and her fingertip began to tap against the shelf where the player sat. she shut her eyes and smiled as she recalled why she enjoyed this song so much. As a teenager, she hadn’t understood the connection. She just thought it was a new song that interested her. But now, she understood exactly why the younger version of herself had fallen in love with Jessies Girl, by Rick Springfield, back in the February of 1981.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a bit of a rough opener, but I'm looking forward to this story! It's pretty short, but I plan to play with the relationship between Kya and her aunt's who weren't in LOK, Suki, Ty Lee, and Mai because I think they could have had an amazing relationship that I haven't seen explored enough


	2. Dancing Queen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kya has just turned 18 and the future looks bright, but growing up comes with new and confusing challenges, like college and making big life plans, and maybe some new feelings she doesn't want to pay attention to...

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
In the few hours that Kya had been eighteen, she hadn’t noticed much of a difference in comparison to being seventeen. Sure, she enjoyed celebrating her seventeenth year around the sun, but she didn’t feel any different within herself. Seventeen felt like an unsatisfying age when she really thought about it. She could practically taste the freedoms that came with being eighteen, but she was still tethered down by the rules of her mother’s household, as Katara had said. She was in an inescapable limbo that would last as long as she lived under her parent’s roof.

However, for the time being, she would ignore the dramatic melancholy she felt and focus on her homework so she could graduate and get to college. She still didn’t understand the point of homework, since it was just more school but at home. Wasn’t eight hours or classes enough? She grumbled to herself as she threw her bedroom door open, tossing her bag full of textbooks onto her bed. Her birthday presents still took residence in the corner of her bedroom floor. She hadn’t found the time to get it all organized. 

She considered finding a place for everything now, but she knew her mother would say that “distraction only prolonged inevitable work”. She wrinkled her nose, standing in the middle of her room with her hands on her hips, thinking over what homework needed to be done. She had a math test later that week that she should probably review for, as well as a bio lab that was due by the end of the week. After a minute she stretched her arms and back, getting ready to hunker down and study.  
She changed into more comfortable clothes and let her hair out of its tight ponytail. After crossing her room, she turners the dial on her record player, turning it to the radio set. Her favorite station was already dialed into place and a familiar song played as she flopped backward on her bed with an exaggerated sigh. She wasn’t sure what had caused it, but she had been in a mood that she couldn’t quite place. 

Now she was home and felt her stomach contort into something like an internal grimace. She rolled over on her side as the song changed on the radio, pulling a large stuffed dog into her arms. She buried her nose into the fake fur and closed her eyes, remembering when aunt Suki had given it to her. It had been her favorite stuffed animal since she was a little kid and always brought her comfort when she needed to figure out her feelings.

She thought back on her day, retracing her steps to see what could have caused the sour mood. Rolling onto her back she let out a long breath, her eyes fluttering open once more. She bit her lower lip and stared at her ceiling. A few of her glow-in-the-dark stars were beginning to peel off again. She’d have to stick them back on again later. She sighed as she was distracting herself and went back to rethinking her day. Her morning classes had all been fine and she’d gotten good marks on the recent assignments shed done. That couldn’t be the issue. 

She grumbled and wrinkled her nose as she wracked her brain over this mood. It wasn’t like her to have a feeling and be unable to define the source like this. She heard the radio change to a new song as she moved through the timeline of the day. She recalled getting to lunch and sitting with Lin, as usual. They’d talked about their current classes and what homework they had that upcoming weekend. The conversation had been casual and fine, Kya making a few bad jokes that begrudgingly got Lin to laugh. 

Then Tenzin had shown up. He sat across from Lin at their table, which was an uncommon occurrence. Tenzin normally had clubs that he had to attend during lunch, but his meeting had been canceled or something. She wasn’t really sure. At that point, Lin had started paying more attention to Tenzin, or Tenzin had started to talk to Lin more. Kya wasn’t exactly sure. She sighed again and buried her face in her puppy plush out of frustration. 

“That’s the third time you’ve sighed since you got home,” a voice said in her doorway. She felt a sudden weight jump on her chest causing her to quickly exhale. She tossed to plush over to her pillows and was met with big green eyes and a fuzzy white face on her chest. She arched an eyebrow, questioning whether or not she was going crazy. “Over here stupid. Momo can’t talk.” 

Kya sat up fully, moving Momo onto the bed so she could scowl at who she now knew was Bumi. 

“What do you want? I’m not doing your homework again,” Kya huffed, scooting backward on her bed so she could lean against the wall. She felt the paper of some of her posters wrestle against her back. She was focused on glaring et her older brother, who was leaned against her doorframe. Momo mewed to get her attention, requesting she sit criss-cross so he could curl up in her lap. Kya obliged as her brother scoffed and the siamese cat got comfortable. 

“What’s eating you? You were fine this morning,” Bumi commented, picking at his teeth. Kya wrinkled her nose and blew a strand of her bangs into the air as she leaned her head against the wall. Momo purred in her lap as she scratched behind his oversized ears. 

“It’s nothing,” she mumbled. Bumi arched an eyebrow as though he wasn’t convinced. “I just had an annoying day is all. I’ll get over it.” She turned and looked out the window above her desk. She’d left it open the night before and a cool breeze blew the curtains, which made them look like they where dancing. 

It was surprisingly warm for late February and a few of the neighbor kids were playing a game in the street. She watched as they ran to the sidewalk whenever a car came driving through the culdesac. She felt the bed beside her give as Bumi sat beside her. “Go away Bumi, I’m fine,” she grumbled, trying to sound mean. She’d never been good at getting rid of people. Lin always said that was her job.

“You don’t seem fine,” Bumi stated softly. His tone was gentle. Gentler than it normally was. It was a rare tone only really saved for Kya. Sure, Bumi loved Tenzin and his friends, but he only really got soft and gentle with Kya. It was just the relationship dynamic they had developed over the years. 

“Are you just bummed about getting older? I know I felt kind of weird after I turned eighteen,” he murmured. He reached over Kya’s knee and scratched Momo’s chin. The cat mewed his thanks softly. Kya didn’t reply for a moment. She continued staring out the window. Maybe that was what was bothering her.

“I dunno, maybe. This morning I felt fine, but now I just” she paused, not wanting to say the wrong thing. “I feel old?” it came out as more of a question. She heard her brother stifle a laugh and turned her attention back to him. She was about to complain, but when she thought about it, the situation was kind of funny. She smiled and laughed softly with her brother for a moment. When they were done, she sighed again and looked out the window once more. There was a pause and the room went completely quiet as a new song started on the radio.

The volume was low and she wasn’t fully paying attention to the song, but it didn’t sound familiar. A guitar riff started, then a male voice began to sing. Unknowingly, she began to tap her hand against Momo’s back with the rhythm. She started to listen to the lyrics as her brother hummed along. 

His hand bounced on his thigh as he played goofy air-guitar. Something about the words felt familiar to a deep part of her, but she couldn’t place why. She knew she had never heard this song before. At least not this version of it. She closed her eyes and let her mind wander as she listened to the lyrics and Bumi’s humming. 

“I wanna tell her that I love her, but the point is probably moot,” Bumi murmured along with the song as it went into the second verse. Kya smiled and let her mind wander as the breeze drifted through her room, carrying the song along with it. Her thoughts focused on the words, letting them make meaning in her head and paint a picture that only she could see. 

She was startled to realize that her mind interpreted the song as someone far more familiar than she would have liked to admit. She had imagined bright green eyes gazing at her. Strong arms that would keep her safe and warm hands that made her vulnerable, but in an inviting way. Her eyes flew open and she stifled a gasp when she caught her brother’s gaze. 

“Woah, you look like you just saw a ghost. You good?” he asked with a scoff in his voice. Kya put on a mild smile and rolled her eyes, shoving him with her shoulder. 

“Shut up, stupid,” 

“You’re stupid,” He grinned at his own retort and shoved her back which disturbed Momo enough for him to jump off of Kya’s lap and trot out of the room in a huff. Bumi stretched with an overly dramatic yawn before scooting off of the bed. “ I've got some homework to do,” he said with a wink, which signified that he indeed didn’t intend to do said homework just yet. “Will you be alright if I skedaddle?” he asked. Kya rolled her eyes once more and nodded, her head still leaning lazily against the wall. 

“I’ll be fine, stupid,” she said, though she was practically a million miles away from fine after her sudden daydream. Bumi nodded and made his way to leave before Kye piped up again. “Hey. What’s the name of that song? You seemed to have heard it before,” she asked. Bumi arched an eyebrow for a moment before understanding what she meant and nodding. 

“Pretty sure it's something like ‘Jame’s Girl’ or something,” he said, scratching his cheek as he thought. Kya furrowed her brow but smiled. 

“I thought they said Jessie in the long,” Bumi snapped and pointed at her, waving his finger slightly with a grin. 

“That’s it. Jessie. ‘Jessie’s Girl.” He seemed proud of himself despite getting it wrong the first time. “I always thought that Jessie was a girl’s name,” he added before he waved. “Also, if mom askes, I went out with some friends. I’ll see you around, Buggy.” her older brother soluted with a nod and walked down the hall with his hands in his pockets. Kya rolled her eyes at the old nickname and turned back to the window. 

She blinked and recalled her daydream before she slumped into her mattress, once again grabbing her puppy plush. She rolled on her side, cuddling the dog as she twisted a strand of hair around her finger. 

“Jessie's Girl…” she murmured as she pondered the words once more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Btw, the nickname "Buggy" is a reference back to A Touch of Cinnamon, if you didn't get it. Just and FYI  
> \-------------------------------------------------------------  
> Hello again! I'm so sorry I've been MIA. I meant to get this done last weekend but I adopted a kitten on the 12th so everything's been pretty kitten-centric this past week. But her name is Edalyn (Yes, I named my cat after Eda from the Owl House) she'd just over 6 months old and she's super fluffy and grey with little white paws and white star marking on her forehead and big yellow/amber eyes. Ironically, her paws and the marking look a lot like some of my late dog's markings, which is really fitting. She's my actual child and I adore her. 
> 
> I'm also trying to catch up with school and I'm dying from burnout so writing and getting ideas has been hard. I'm restarting I Think I Dreamed About Her to try and improve my style, so hopefully, that will get my groove back.


End file.
